This Black History Month, we celebrated Black leaders who are leading the work to end gun violence.

For generations, systemic racism has left Black communities bearing the brunt of America's gun violence crisis. This reality demands both acknowledgment and action—and our gun violence prevention movement was built by Black survivors and trailblazers who are turning their pain into purpose.

Check out our Black History Month blogs to learn more about these remarkable leaders and their innovative, community-led solutions to the gun violence crisis.

When a chance of snow and zero-degree weather shut down Kansas Moms Demand Action's Advocacy Day, our volunteers quickly pivoted to make sure state lawmakers heard firsthand that gun violence prevention is a priority.

Over 100 participants, including volunteers, survivors, community partners, and elected officials, joined a virtual Advocacy Day on Zoom to discuss the state's gun violence crisis. After the discussion, volunteers joined together to send messages to Kansas legislators urging them to support secure storage legislation and education.

Georgia Students Demand Action leaders showed up in droves at the State Capitol last month to demand their lawmakers take action on gun safety.

Students are calling on Georgia lawmakers to pass several bills to improve the state's secure storage: strengthening secure storage education, requiring the secure storage of guns in cars, and holding gun owners accountable when children gain access to their weapons.

After last year's deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, students are fed up with their lawmakers' inaction—and they're determined to keep fighting. Join your local Students Demand Action chapter to get involved in your community.

Glocks are the #1 gun recovered from crime scenes in Baltimore and cities across the country. And for decades, Glock has made pistols that it knows can be easily, quickly, and cheaply turned into illegal machine guns.

Last month, Everytown Law joined Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to file a major lawsuit against Glock, demanding that the company take steps to prevent its guns from being converted into these deadly weapons.

Two years have passed since the shooting at Michigan State University, where 3 people were killed and 5 others were injured in a deadly act of gun violence—and it's been one year since Michigan lawmakers enacted a critical Extreme Risk law to help prevent future tragedies.

Extreme Risk laws enable loved ones or law enforcement to petition a civil court to temporarily restrict access to firearms for individuals in crisis via an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), allowing them to intervene before a tragedy occurs.

And a new report by the Michigan State Court Administrative Office shows that a year in, this policy is working. 391 ERPO complaints were filed last year, demonstrating that the law is meeting a clear need in Michigan.

Michigan isn't the only place where Extreme Risk Protection Orders are saving lives. Across the country, ERPOs have been used successfully to prevent suicide and avert threats of mass violence—but there's a wide variation in ERPO usage from state to state.

That's why Everytown Research interviewed several experts to shine a bright light on the cities, counties, and states that have taken strong steps to use ERPOs. These experts range from law enforcement personnel to victim advocates and were often the pioneers in their communities helping to implement the laws and refine the processes along the way.

The constant barrage of bad news can be overwhelming—and it's hard to know where to look to find the information that matters most.

Stay up to date on the latest by following Everytown on Instagram—we'll keep you posted on all things gun safety.